Game on: From opera to anime

"China's ACGN industry is growing unexpectedly fast, such as the development of IPs and the expanding fan base. We are also seeing much younger voice actors and fans of radio drama, animation and games. Currently, over one-third of voice actors at our group are those born after 2000, from whom we see much passion and the future of the industry," says Xia Lei.

Seseren, a 34-year-old illustrator from South Korea, set up a booth at BW, meeting fans and selling IP goods made from his illustrated works in Chinese games. He has thousands of Chinese fans on Bilibili, and even studied Chinese at Fudan University in Shanghai for six months to better communicate with the "passionate and enthusiastic "Chinese fan community.

Hayato Kato, a 27-year-old Japanese creator, has been living in Shanghai since 2021. He has posted over 200 videos on his experiences in China and gained more than 780,000 followers on Bilibili. Kato was happy to see many familiar Japanese exhibitors at the event and said he values BW as a platform for cultural exchange and shared creativity among global ACGN fans.

The growing ACGN industry in China is not only crossing national boundaries but also filling cultural and generational gaps. One standout example is Qiu Danli, a 41-year-old Yueju Opera performer with the Shanghai Yue Opera House, who is using Bilibili to bring traditional Chinese opera to younger, international audiences in new and engaging ways.

Influenced by her friend and her teenage daughter, Qiu became fascinated with ACGN culture. She began integrating games and anime themes into opera performances — an experiment that has proven popular among younger viewers.

"The younger generation is full of energy and creativity and has a passion for traditional Chinese culture. Their comments and creativity inspire me. Some have even joined my team. I hope we can connect across ages and cultural divides to promote traditional opera together," says Qiu.

Data from iiMedia Research reports show that the pan-ACGN user base in China has grown significantly in recent years. With the user base likely to reach over 500 million by 2029, the pan-ACGN market is expected to expand from 597.7 billion yuan ($82.91 billion) in 2024 to 834.4 billion yuan by 2029.